In an effort to revitalize China’s animation industry, a cartoon-themed shopping mall, entertainment and creative center will open in Shanghai.
The aim is to employ savvy merchandising to create a craving for Chinese cartoons – old standards like the Monkey King and new ones like the “The Magic Aster,” “McDull Kung Fu” (about a kung fu piglet) and “Pleasant Goat and Big, Big Wolf.”
Ah, how could anyone forget classics like the Monkey King! I remember waking up early every Saturday morning eating Cap’n Kung Pao with Crunch Berries straight out of the box and watching that monkey for hours! Good memories!
It didn’t work well as a long term solution for Disney with their Disney Stores. I think most of them are Build-A-Bear workshops now!
“Monkey King” is a character in Buddhist culture, a shape-shifting trickster whose adventures and misadventures are used to illustrate various moral points, like similar characters in other folklore (coyote, ananzi, etc.) Seems like a good source for animated cartoons, like Robin Hood or Brer Rabbit.